Delhi is home to two very special kind of jewellery encouraged and patronized to the level of an art form by the Mughals. The meeting of Hindu and Muslim cultures during the Mughal rule created a rich variety of designs and during this time the art of Kundan was introduced to India. Western influences during the British rule prompted the use of open-claw settings in preference to the traditional kundan gulband (choker), dastband (bracelet) and karnaphul (earrings) settings.
Kundan is the Mughal-inspired art of setting of stones in gold and silver. Gems are bedded in a surround of gold leaf rather than secured by a rim or claw. Hindu Punjabis brought Meenakari, or the skill of enamelling, from Lahore to Delhi. The Mughal fashion was to enamel the reverse side of jewellery to protect it from contact with the wearer's skin.
Enamelling is a technique, in which hollows made in metal surface are filled with coloured enamels. With intricate designs executing detail, meenakari articles have a delicate and lyrical quality about them.